Today in NBA Sneaker History: Karl Malone Becomes 2nd Highest Scorer of All Time in the Apex Mailman

To say that the Utah Jazz have been struggling so far this season would be a vast understatement. At a dismal 4-16, the Jazz are currently situated at the bottom of the Northwest Division. They've yet to win a single division match-up and are 1-9 on the road. With a game against the red-hot Portland Trail Blazers scheduled for 10PM tomorrow, things may get even worse for the Jazz before they get better.

Historically, December 5 was a defining date for legendary Utah Jazz power forward Karl Malone. It was December 5, 2000, to be exact, and the Jazz were hosting the Toronto Raptors. The Jazz won 98-84 and Karl Malone had a huge night with 31 points and 12 rebounds, but during the course of the game, he managed to make history in just a single play. Malone surpassed Wilt Chamberlain to become the second highest scorer in NBA history, just behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. To this day, Karl Malone's final total of 36,928 points stands as the second best of all time, with over 4,000 more points than Michael Jordan.

One area Karl Malone didn't manage to rival in Jordan was footwear. Although Malone was one of the most successful and recognizable players of the '90s, none of his signature sneakers ever really took off the way other player's models did. With this particular Apex model, it was due in large part to the fact they weren't actually available to the public, which makes them one of the rarest signature basketball sneakers of all time.